Halloween comes early to the Sound October night

Sound October 2017 Review by Maisie Bisson

The doors opened at 7 and the Fermain Tavern gradually filled with buzzing teens. The Tav had been decorated for Sound’s Halloween party and some people joined the spooky aesthetic by dressing up as ghosts, devils and even a pumpkin or two.

Cosmic Fish kicked off the night with their messy pop punk sound that they have been moulding over the past 2 years. The sound crowd has seen these three boys perform from the start of their career and were happy to dance and even attempt a circle pit during their set. The denim waistcoats and leopard print trousers they donned for the gig were a very good choice of Halloween costumes and gave us all something to giggle at.

Next up were Lord Vapour who have steadily become a Sound favourite. Their signature stoner rock made the whole room sway slightly and, like always, was received well by the audience. Despite a broken string Henry (their guitarist) picked up another guitar and carried on with the extended solos and catchy licks. The band managed to fill their 45-minute set with 5 long songs and left the crowd wanting more when they had to pack up their stuff and shuffle off stage to make way for Watercolour Matchbox.

The 5-piece started their set heavy and carried the fuzz and riffs through to the end. For this gig, they left behind their synth and their heavy sounds brought the largest crowd of the night down in front of the stage. Their set was mainly made up of songs that will be on their second album, however the fact that most of these songs were new to the crowd’s ears didn’t stop them headbanging and dancing throughout the set.

Tantale were the last band of the night and despite missing a guitarist they successfully mixed the trance-like stoner rock and soaring vocals to create a spooky, thoughtful atmosphere in the Tav. The audience must have been tired out by Watercolour Matchbox because they were far more subdued however, this does not reflect on Tantale’s performance as they were very tight and seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage.

Overall the night was a success, almost everyone left with a sore neck and aching feet; the bands had fun and each put on a good show. The night had a friendly, welcoming feel as sound saw new, younger faces coming through the doors.